This invention relates generally to necks for stringed musical instruments, and, more particularly, to the undersurface of the neck and a novel ridged construction for improving the playability of the instrument.
Typical musical instrument necks, such as those of guitars, have U-shaped undersurfaces, the necks typically being formed of wood, plastic or fiber-reinforced plastic. The undersurface of such guitars is of a continuous, uninterrupted form, from one side of the fingerboard down, under the neck and up to the fingerboard again on the other side. This continuous undersurface runs the entire length of the neck, and is used by the player for bracing the hand while pressing down on the strings from above. During playing of the guitar, for example, the thumb-hand portion of the fretting hand of the player maintains contact with the undersurface as the player's fingers move up and down the fingerboard, the thumb or palm sliding along the undersurface as various fingerings are employed.
An example of such typical U-shaped neck is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,362; (Lieber), disclosing a reinforced plastic guitar. A modification of the U-shape structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,150 (Sceusa). Although U-shaped necks have proven to be effective for many years for most musical requirements, there remains a problem as to the playing of faster music, especially in the area of popular or rock guitar music. Such music usually requires the guitarist's fretting hand to move very quickly up and down the guitar neck. As a result of continued faster playing, physical drag builds up between the player's fretting hand and the undersurface of the neck, inhibiting the guitarist in the playing of faster pieces and leading to fatigue of the fretting hand.
The ridged construction of the neck of this invention provides an instrument having significantly improved playability due to the lowering of physical drag between the player's fretting hand and the under-surface of the neck, which allows the player to play faster musical passages more accurately, and with less fatigue.